Check-In Post - June 11th 2025

[badly_knitted]

Hello to all members, passers-by, curious onlookers, and shy lurkers, and welcome to our regular daily check-in post. Just leave a comment below to let us know how your current projects are progressing, or even if they're not.

Checking in is NOT compulsory, check in as often or as seldom as you want, this community isn't about pressure it's about encouragement, motivation, and support. Crafting is meant to be fun, and what's more fun than sharing achievements and seeing the wonderful things everyone else is creating?

There may also occasionally be questions, but again you don't have to answer them, they're just a way of getting to know each other a bit better.


This Week's Question: We all probably have multiple WiPs, but which of yours has been hanging around longest, waiting to be finished?


If anyone has any questions of their own about the community, or suggestions for tags, questions to be asked on the check-in posts, or if anyone is interested in playing check-in host for a week here on the community, which would entail putting up the daily check-in posts and responding to comments, go to the Questions & Suggestions post and leave a comment.

I now declare this Check-In OPEN!

Comments

[badly_knitted]

The cross stitch on the rooster is completed, and I've started the back stitch. But I had to stop and clear out the fire, starting to get it ready for its sweep and service on Friday. It's a of of unpleasant work, getting it ready, but at least I got the grate cleared and the throat plate removed.

[darkcedars]

Oof, I bet that will be a messy visit.

[badly_knitted]

They're really very tidy about it, it's all vacuum cleaning up any mess, but there isn't much that escapes the cloths that are fitted over the fire while the brushes are in use. The fire itself leaves more of a mess in day to day use. Chimney sweeps are way more efficient these days, with better equipment. Very different from when I was a kid.

I'm the one who'll be making the mess scraping down the inside of the firebox. It's an awful job.

[nagi_schwarz]

Kudos to you for getting that important chore done! Way to go on getting so much done on the rooster! But also...also clearly I understand nothing about cross stitch...

[badly_knitted]

I'm happy with rooster progress.

What, you don't cross stitch, when you do EVERY OTHER CRAFT IN EXISTENCE? I'm shocked, I tell you! *grins*

Yes, first stage of nasty chore done, more to do after the chimney is swept.

[nagi_schwarz]

So wait, I thought you did each individual x stitch as you go but is that wrong? Is it like needlepoint one way and then needlepoint the other way? All my life I have been wrong about cross stitch lol

[badly_knitted]

*grins* I usually stitch half the stitch along a row, then the other half on the way back, it depends. I tend to plan my route with the colour I'm using to be as economical as I can with both thread and effort. Some people do stitch each individual cross as they go, it's all up to individual preferences, like any other craft. Neither was is wrong, just what works best for the stitcher or the design.

[spiralicious]

Well done on both projects.

[badly_knitted]

Thank you! I need to catch up with posting pictures of projects.

[darkcedars]

I made another set of the headset covers today.

This morning I pruned a few plants and cleaned up an area in John's yard to be a compost bin.

[badly_knitted]

Well done!

Sounds like a busy day!

[darkcedars]

Yeah, John will even save grass clippings in trash bags and say he's going to do something with it. I'm glad he let me make a conpost bin for that stuff.

[badly_knitted]

Compost bins are a lot better.

[nagi_schwarz]

Way to go with the headset covers! Those sound so cute! I saw a TikTok video with a bunch of cute fruit ones and those looked adorable. Way to go with gardening!

[spiralicious]

Well done!

[nagi_schwarz]

Gonna crochet and listen to this audiobook for a bit. So close to finishing the book! Not the blanket. Took the blanket out and looked at it and measured it, and I think I will take it to the end of the pattern. Those puff stitches eat up a lot of yarn, and in a pattern without them, the single (giant) ball of yarn would have indeed been enough for a whole baby blanket.

[badly_knitted]

Sometimes you do just need to stick to the pattern. You're still making really great progress though. Enjoy your audio book.

[spiralicious]

Excellent progress!

[spiralicious]

Hello! I am still alive.

Short version of where I've been:

Things with Lynne took a bit of a nose dive and while I wanted to talk about it, I couldn't figure out how to talk about it.

While I was figuring that out, I got really sick, like I couldn't do more than be a blob for 2 weeks sick. It took a while to try to get back into the swing of things and about the time I felt like I had my feet under me, I got really sick again for about a week. It wasn't nearly as bad that time, but still put me further behind on everything.

Eventually, I just got really embarrassed about how long I'd been away and it just kept getting harder and harder to jump back in.

I really missed you all.

Today, I knitted 10 rows on a lace pattern scarf I've got going. It's from the knitting for dummies book I've been trying to knit my way through and one of the projects I'd thought I'd be working on last October. I'm not super thrilled with the yarn or the pattern, but the more I work on it, the more it grows on me, pun unintended.

[badly_knitted]

Hugs, hugs, and more hugs, because it sounds like you really need them. Hoping you're feeling much better now. There are so many reasons why members might not have the time or the spoons to craft or check in, so never feel bad about disappearing, just remember we'll always welcome you back whenever you're up to returning. This is a no pressure community. We're just happy to have you back.

Ooh, new project, new scarf, new pattern! Yay! Hopefully you will end up really liking it!